YET ANOTHER USE FOR CUT 'N DRY FOAM...A MATTRESS AND PILLOW!

Yep...you read that right! You can use Cut N' Dry Foam for a mattress and pillow! Maybe not for yourself...but for a matchbox mouse!  Maybe I better explain ...

After making the Halloween and Christmas Configurations boxes in Tim Holtz' classes at Absolutely Everything last weekend, I had some left over compartments.  Six to be exact. Tim told us not to throw them away because there were all sorts of uses for those little leftovers. He was so right! USE YOUR IMAGINATION WITH YOUR CONFIGURATIONS!

I took one of my large squares and one of my large rectangular boxes and turned them into Santa with a shadowbox tummy and Matchbox Mouse.

My vintage Santa is a retro Christmas card that I sized to fix the box. I printed it out on cardstock and backed it with chipboard for strength. Then I lined the back and bottom (thanks Tim) of the inside of the Configurations Box with little snippets of Tim's wonderful seasonal paper. Now, Santa had a shadow box tummy! I added Tim's rosette, stuck a little "Merry Christmas" on it, cut off the edges of the rosette to make it fit in the box where I wanted it and glued it in place. Next, I added some "ornaments" to the little bottle brush tree. I had to cut the bottom of the tree off to make it fit, but no worries. It hot glued in place just fine. I added a little sled with a package stuck on top next to the tree. Then I glued some vintage silver tinsel garland around the outer edge of the box and added three vintage corsage bells and a thin piece of metallic candy cane striped ribbon to the upper corner. I painted two wooden spools black and glued them to the bottom of the box to represent Santa's boots.

A top view of Santa shows how I cut his arm away from the rest of his body and laid it on the top of the box, partially to hide the pipecleaner ends on the bells and partially for added interest to the top of the box. I popped the "A Merry Merry Christmas" ornament with a pop dot for added dimension. Finally, I added a little gold glitter snowflake with a wooden train on top.  Santa was stickled with Tim's Distress Stickles: Peeled Paint, Fired Brick and Picket Fence.

The Matchbox Mouse was made using a large rectangular Configurations box. I love "The Night Before Christmas". 

"...not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse!" I found my little mouse on the internet and sized him to fit my box. I printed him out, stickled his hat with Distress Fired Brick and the rest of him with regular Stickles; Fruit Punch, Stardust and a little Platinum.  I sized the vintage book cover to fit the box. I printed it out, leaving enough paper on the sides to wrap around the box, forming a matchbox cover. I inked inside and outside with Tim's Distress Inks: Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Black Soot and glued the outer cover together around the Configurations box, leaving enough space so the cover can slide off and on the box. I used Rock Candy Stickles all over the top of the book for a really cool understated glittery vintage look.

Here's where the Cut N' Foam pad comes in. I cut it to fit into the box. I used two layers of Cut N' Foam for the mattress. I covered the "mattress with a scrap of fabric and put it into place using double sided tape. I made the pillow the same way...just using one Cut N' Foam layer. Next, I stuck a little piece of Cut N' Foam in the middle of the bed to look like Mr. Mouse's tiny little body.  I covered him up with a different scrap of fabric and held it into place with double sided tape.

These little boxes can now be little cha-cheese to sit around or add a little hanger of some sort and they can be Christmas ornaments! The possibilities are endless!

Have fun and take time to play!  It's SOUL food!

A WONDEROUS EXPERIENCE

I just got back from probably the closest thing to an "out of body "experience I could ever imagine! I spent the weekend at Absolutely Everything in Topsfield, Massachusetts, taking all four classes that Tim Holtz offered. They should not be called "classes". They should be called "events". For anyone who has never experienced a Tim Holtz class, you are really missing something! He truly is a creative genius when it comes to not only creating these wonderful classes but also in developing so many wonderful products that work so perfectly together.
Tim's team of Mario and Michelle did so much of the preparation for these classes and let me tell you, there was A LOT of preparation. Kate, a dear person and the owner of Absolutely Everything, acquired help not only from her wonderful staff but also from other store owners across the nation who jumped right in to help her. The classes were nothing short of AMAZING! The projects we made were incredible. I learned so much about the mechanics of product and technique. But, Tim made it so much fun! It was more like playing than it was a learning experience...although it was BOTH!
This was my first time to meet Tim in person. I have to say, he did not disappoint! There is just an aura about him. He is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. A perfect example of this is when he was autographing something for me, he smiled and said something to the effect, "You know, I will never understand why people want me to do this! Why would anyone want me to sign something for them?" I found him to be very witty and charming.  He was fully engaged with his students throughout the entire class.  His instruction and presentation was just perfection! I am so happy that I had this opportunity. It is another dream come true for me!

This is a picture of Tim and I the first morning of classes.

He is holding a spool doll that I made especially for him.

An Experience I Will NEVER Forget! 

TAKE TIME TO CREATE AND PLAY!!!  IT'S SOUL FOOD!!! 

FUN WITH TIM HOLTZ DIES

I recently taught a couple of classes of "The Witching Hour" book (see earlier posts). We all had such a great time and everyone's books turned out amazing! But, I had not finished the back cover of my book and that had been bugging me! So, last night, I had this "epiphany" of what I wanted to do on the back cover. Here are the finished covers of my display book.  NOW...I'm finally happy with it!

I sprayed some black webbing on the orange cardstock background. Then I had a little piece of fencing that I spray painted with a flat black spray paint. I used some black chipboard and cut out the flying witch and scaredy cat Tim Holtz dies. I cut out Tim's wonderful rosette die, using a scrap piece of Halloween paper. I stuck a little raffia on the top of the rosette. My center is a funny little man in the moon stamp I have. I left a little of the orange cardstock around the stamp and inked it with Black Soot Distress Ink. Then I made it look a little more vintage by fringing up those edges. I laid it all out, glued it all down and added a little bit of Antique Gold Rub N' Buff to the fence, the cat and the flying witch as if the man in the moon was shining his weird little Halloween wisps of light on them.
For the finishing touch, I added some torn and tied scruffy black netting and a scary skeleton. Now this book will definitely be a display and not just laying on a table. 
If you have not purchased any of Tim Holtz' new seasonal papers, dies, or texture fades, you really need to check them out! They are amazing and so much fun to work with! And as always....you get great results with anything Tim's name is on. 
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!

EVERY WITCH NEEDS A NEW HAT!!!

Recently, I posted a witch hat that I was going to make with some art buddies. We made them and had a wonderful time! I had some extra 12" x 16" paper mache witch hats. They are an awesome size because you can put lots of "stuff" on them! When you're finished, you have a really fun Halloween decoration...great for table centerpieces!
Instead of completely spray painting the hat black, this time, I opted to cover the main portion of the hat in text out of an old book. That way, I could have a lighter background to work with and also be able to colorize it with Distress Inks. Then I added some headlines or partial headlines out of our local paper I had seen yesterday morning as I was thumbing through the paper. I thought they added a humorous touch.
I am a HUGE Tim Holtz FANatic! So, I wanted to use some of my new Tim Halloween Stamps as well as some of my other favorites from his Ideaology and Alterations lines as well as some appropriate Distress Inks and Stickles.

I LOVE Tim's new Halloween stamps and his new rosette die. Here, I am combined the two with a little bit of orange tinsel thrown in for good measure. This witch is actually placed on the backside of the hat.

Here is the rosette die again on the front brim of the hat with a "31" stamped on the center piece and then inked around the edges with Black Soot. The black cat just behind the rosette was stamped onto orange card stock. I left an orange edge around the stamp when cutting it out and then edged it in Black Soot. Although the cat is not jointed, the two little brads give it that appearance.

This spooky skeleton was also done exactly the same way as the black cat. I tucked him onto the side of the hat among some really cute orange flocked Halloween fabric I used to make a cute sash on the brim of the hat. I also made some vintage looking "attic flowers" out of blackish ribbon, black netting and some spooky green pearls as the center of the flower. The bats flying all around the hat were made from a Fiskars bat punch, fishing wire spray painted black, Rock Candy Stickles on the front sides of the bat and little orange eyes painted with orange puff paint.

I used Tim's Tattered Flowers die to create these Halloweenish flowers made out of natural duck cloth. I cut them out, colored them with Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, Wild Honey, Walnut Stain and Black Soot for a spooky edging. Next I stamped them with a couple of Wendy Vecchi's stamps. I glued them together and added an old vintage black button as the center of each one. They are on the front of the hat, nestled into the orange sash and some black netting as well as the flying bats. You will also see Tim's new Halloween ticket stamp tucked into the flowers.

Mr. Skeleton decided to hitch a ride on the witch's brim.  He's a Dollar General find. He's resting on the back side of the hat.

I added some of my own little concoctions of a "Twisted Twigs" bottle and a Memory Frame with a portion of an old vintage postcard in it with a little owl charm attached to the top. I love things that dangle and move on my pieces. I found the "Twisted Twigs" label on the Internet, sized it to fit my bottle, glued it on with Glossy Accents and then put Rock Candy Stickles on the label to add color and dimension to it. I filled the bottle with little grape vine twisted sticks and glued the top on with Glossy Accents. The "Trick or Treat" metal hanger on the front of the hat was a JoAnn's Fabric find after Halloween last year. It was flat black and orange so I added Black Diamond and Orange Peel Stickles for that "zing" it needed to really set it off against the text background.
Then I added a top knot made out of more of the orange flocked Halloween fabric and stuck a few flying bats coming out of it. Wha-lah.......a new Halloween witch hat!

 Have fun being creative and making your own art!  It's "soul food". 

YEP....HALLOWEEN IS COMING!!!!

Fall is here although you'd never know it in Springfield, Missouri right now! Our weather is beautiful...sunny and in the mid 70s with not even a hint of the leaves beginning to turn yet. That's okay though. I LOVE this weather!
I finished my Halloween canvas! It was so much fun to do! It was inspired by my friend, Jeanne. She introduced me to frozen Charlotte. LOVE THESE! I have since also found frozen Charley and have a growing collection of both. (smile) Since Charlotte had no legs, Jeanne thought of sticking her in a pumpkin. More about that in a minute....

Here are the front and back views of my Halloween Canvas.

The witch's gate actually swings out to reveal Miss Charlotte in her cute little yellow mum tutu, sitting in her pumpkin. I also made a little Halloween mask for Miss Charlotte to hold. This was made out of a toothpick for the handle and a little piece of scrap cardstock painted with Black Diamond stickles. I glued a scrap piece of orange tinsel garland to the top for some extra color. 

The gate is actually a little piece of fencing from Dept. 56. I took the "feet" off of the bottom of the fencing so that I could use it for a gate. I made the gate swing out by sticking little eye pins into the wooden side of the canvas. Then I used Tim Holtz ' jump rings to attach the bar of the gate to the eye pins. The sign on the gate was made using Tim's fragments and Glossy Accents.

I love all the "stuff" on this canvas. The cool metal lion's head reminded me of something you'd see on a spooky old door of a witch's castle. Chains hanging from the lion's head hold bottles of "Witch's Brew" and "Life Renewal Potion". I found the little bottles at Hobby Lobby and filled them with orange and black seed beads in one and green paint in the other. I sized down the labels I found on the internet to fit the bottles. Then I coated the labels with Tim Holtz' Rock Candy Stickles. Those are amazing! They add so much depth and color to anything you rub them on.
The black cat is a Bethany Lowe place card holder that is holding Tim's new Happy Halloween ticket stamp. His new vintage witch face is also making an appearance on this canvas, coming out of a little "attic flower" I made out of black hug snug seam tape, vintage milners' netting and a little center brad from My Minds' Eye Halloween brads. Tim's ornamental plates are so versatile. I couldn't resist using one on this canvas. I loved the little pumpkin boy and his owl and cat friend I found on a vintage postcard. So, they stand guard at the gate.
Have a wonderful week and take time to play and create! It's "soul" food!



IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE ... HALLOWEEN!!!

I LOVE the fall with all of it's sights and sounds and smells. The trees are never more glorious than in the fall when they burst alive with their vibrant reds, yellows, oranges and every hue in between. Going for walks on crisp autumn days and watching the leaves gently float like snowflakes to the ground. Hearing the rustlings of the leaves as they are tossed about by the biting autumnal breezes. Eating candied or caramel apples. The wonderful aroma of pumpkin pie or homemade bread baking in the oven permeates every room of the house.  I can't wait for fall!!!  I also love it because of ...... HaLLoWeEn!!! 

What a FUN holiday to make art pieces for and then decorate the house!  I'm having some of my "Artchix buddies" over and we're going to make this cute little witch hat.  I say "little"...actually this paper mache hat measures 12" tall and 16" across at the brim.  Hardly "little".  But, it sure does make an adorable "vintage" table centerpiece or a cute addition to your Halloween decorations.

It's very simple to do. Just spray a paper mache hat with black flat spray paint. Cut tulle into strips. I used off white, orange and black tulle. I cut it into 4 1/2" wide strips. The length of the tulle was probably around 54". I gathered all three together: white on the bottom, then orange and black on top. I ran a running stitch on my sewing machine to gather them together. Then pull up the gathering to make a nice ruffle of tulle. There will be enough out of one strip to cover the brim and also make the little tulle "top knot" on the top of the hat. Hot glue those into place. Cover where you hot glued with some sort of covering. Gathered and ruffled crepe paper works well.  I used some tissue paper garland. Next, I sized and printed out some "vintage" Halloween postcards and Stickled them to make them come "alive". You can mat the postcards on Halloween fabric, card stock, kraft paper or pretty much anything you can adhere to the hat.  Stickles or a nice little tinsel garland makes a nice finishing trim. I found some gold stars in the Christmas section of Hobby Lobby. I sprayed them with Glossy Wood Tone to "vintage" them up and dull their gold shine. It worked great! Then I hot glued them onto the hat and it's done!

Next....I'm working on a mixed media piece.  It's a Halloween canvas!  Spooky!!! 
Can't wait to show it to you!!!

We're Off To See The Wizard!

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Wizard Of Oz. I love the all the characters, the songs and the dialogue. I wanted to create something fun that would pay tribute to all of those wonderful things I hold dear from that classic film.

So...I decided to make a little library pocket book. With five library pockets, a couple of small pieces of chipboard, some Tim Holtz Ideaology Corners, various colors of Tim's wonderful Distress Inks, some Perfect Pearls misting sprays (I made using Tim's technique of mixing Distress Ink refills, Perfect Pearls and water in a Mini Mister), a 1" Memory Frame and some ball chain, a little "Toto" sterling charm, some Hannah Silk ribbon, shipping tags, Stickles, a few Wizard of Oz scrapbook papers and die cuts and a little of my own computer ingenuity; I created this fun little book.

Each library pocket is devoted to the characters and a song from the movie that is associated with them.

As you can see, each of the pockets are full of fun "stuff".  Each pocket holds a two sided book mark with more pictures and dialogue from the movie. 

Here are just a few of the bookmarks.

They also hold the lyrics to all of the songs. I distressed all of those lyric sheets to make them look old and worn, as if they had been tucked away in an old trunk for years.

Here are just a few of the songs.

The book is packed with all sorts fun things to look at and read. It gives me so much joy to pick it up and rummage through it. It's amazing what just a little bit of "stuff" and imagination can do!
Take time to play! It's good for your creative soul! 

I remember the lesson that Dorothy learned on her "visit" to Oz...if you are looking for your hearts' desires, you should look first in your own back yard. What a simple yet truthful statement. How often do we take for granted the things that surround us and make us happy, thinking that there is something better beyond the rainbow?

I hope you enjoyed my little Wizard of Oz book!

I can't wave a magic wand and send you home. But, I bet if you click your heels three times and say "There's No Place Like Home" you'll get there!

Thanks for stopping by!



MAKING A GRUNGE T-SHIRT USING TIM HOLTZ' PRODUCTS

Okay, so we all know that Tim Holtz Masks, Ideaology, Alterations and Grungeboard items are nothing short of genius! We use them all the time to embellish tags, scrapbook pages and altered pieces. Have you ever thought about the possibilities of using them say.............on a T-shirt?!?!

Here is an easy step by step tutorial on how to make a really cool altered shirt. I will warn you though, it's addicting! With each new shirt comes a cooler idea or a new element you will think of to add to your design.

HAVE FUN and CREATE!!!

The designs are as endless as your imagination will take you!

Begin by assembling all of your supplies:

• A 100% cotton T-shirt: dark colors work the best, especially black


• A shirt form or something to lay in between the front and back layers of your shirt


• A work surface that will tolerate bleach


• All of the Tim stuff you can get your hands on to use as "masks". Actually, you can use anything that lays fairly flat and will tolerate bleach and vinegar. I am partial to Tim's pieces because they work so perfectly.


• Laces with larger patterns, large netting, buttons with big holes, plastic and/or metal objects, chains and all sorts of other things will work.
  
  LOOK AROUND YOU AND IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES!

You will also need straight bleach and straight vinegar (I use white vinegar), spray bottles set to the mist setting and a bowl with water in it. You will see why the water bowl is important soon.


Working on a bleach tolerant surface, place the shirt form or some sort of barrier between the front and back of the shirt. (This will keep the bleach from soaking through to the back). Lay the shirt flat on the work surface and lay out your design. I usually lay the large netting down first then place the other elements over the top of it. You can also "build" mini designs within your layout. An example of this is the butterfly. It consists of a rectangular plate from Tim's Ornate Plates, wings from his Grungeboard Elements, a small game spinner from his Ideaology Game Spinners, and an artist's pen point for the head of the butterfly. Another example of a mini design can be seen on the upper left shoulder. I have combined the Filmstrip Frames from Tim's Alterations with the star, crown and Fleur D' Les from Tim's Ideaology Adornments. Here is the layout of my "Imagine Shirt". Except for the lace, netting, artist's pen point and two little clock hands, this entire layout is Tim Holtz' pieces.

If you want to add what I call "starbursts" to your shirt, simply gather up material and wrap a rubber band around it to secure it in place. The folds will produce some really cool effects after they are sprayed.

Once you are happy with your design and you are sure it is laying as flat as possible, get your bleach spray bottle. Hold it approximately 12 to 14 inches away from the shirt and lightly spray directly down over the elements. You don't need to saturate it...just a light mist. Within a few seconds, you will begin to see the bleach reacting on the shirt. If you want areas on the shirt to remain black, don't spray there. But, remember, in order to achieve a mask effect,
you have to spray bleach around the elements laid out.

If you want larger blotches on the shirt, hold the spray nozzle over that area and gently pull back on the trigger of the bottle, letting the bleach trickle out of the spray nozzle onto the shirt. Some shirts turn brownish, some turn reddish...it just depends on the shirt. The end result will still be a slightly different color than what you think it will be.

When you are happy with your bleach effect, begin taking the elements off of the shirt and place them into the bowl of water to rinse them off. I do not put my Grungeboard into the water to soak but I do swish it in the water to rinse it off and then I lay it to the side to dry. (I have used my Grungeboard pieces to make lots of shirts and they are still as good as new! That stuff is amazing!!!) Remove all elements from the shirt. This picture shows you how the design will appear as you are taking the elements off of the shirt.

Here is the shirt with all of the elements removed. Lightly spray the front completely with vinegar. This stops the bleaching action. If you do not want to bleach the back of the shirt, remove it from the shirt form and lay it out to dry for a few minutes.

If you want to bleach out the back of the shirt, turn the shirt over......

Repeat the process you did on the front of the shirt. On this shirt, I just wanted some netting and some blotches on the back of the shirt.

I laid out the netting, lightly sprayed the back with bleach-leaving some areas to be blacker than others, dribbled bleach to make some blotches, let the bleach begin to work, removed the netting and when I was happy with the bleach effect, I lightly sprayed the back with vinegar to stop the bleaching action. I removed it from the shirt form and laid it out to dry for a few minutes.

Here is the back of my shirt.

Once you are finished with making your shirt, allow it to dry for a short time; maybe as little as 15 or 20 minutes. Then, throw it in the washing machine with like colors or other shirts if you make several. Wash as you normally would and dry as you normally would.

Your new creation is ready to wear and believe me, you WILL receive lots of compliments and people asking "Where did you get that shirt?"

Here is my finished "Imagine" shirt.

Have fun!!!! Email me pictures of the shirts you create! I would LOVE to see them!!!

HAVE NO FEAR! IT'S JUST ....

This vintagey, edgey Halloween book has ghosts and goblins and a spooky old witch that is full of surprises! She actually becomes a 3D display!

Even "The Raven" stops by for a spooky visit!

The book is 8 pages of fun filled Halloween nostalgia, pull outs and some pretty cool techniques! But, it's not just another book! It can set upright and opened out so that all sides can be seen at the same time! Definitely a wonderful Halloween decoration...and you made it yourself!

Here are a few "sneak peeks"

This picture will give you an idea of what your finished book will look like. The witch stick pulls out of the "Witch Hazel" bottle. The ouija board lifts up to reveal a picture of "the lost Lenore".

There are fun little pullouts and surprises on every page!

"The Witching Hour" is 12" high and 6" wide and made from heavy chipboard. Using the spiral binding gives the support needed for the book to stand up and when the pages are spread out, you have a wonderful Halloween display!

Edgar Allen Poe laments over his lost love, Lenore while "The Raven" quoths, "Nevermore!"

The Goblins Will Get You If You Don't Watch Out!

Cemetaries Don't Have To Be Spooky!


What's A Halloween Book Without A Witch? Only...She's Got A Surprise!

Eh....Heh....Heh!



Classes will be held October 2nd and October 9th, 2010. Vicki Conquest of "Conquest Keepsakes" will be hosting the first class in her new classroom area. The cost of the class is $45. This will be an all day class. The day of class, you will receive a "The Witching Hour" kit featuring all of the images, vintage photos, and all other ribbons, trims, etc. to completely finish out your book.


You will also receive a detailed instruction sheet with step by step instructions and pictures. I will be teaching the class and giving personalized help where needed. A small class list of supplies and all other information will be provided to you upon registration.

Email me now for more information and to reserve your spot.
ccolwell9@mchsi.com

Classes are already filling up and the class sizes are limited because this is a labor intensive class and I want to be sure to give personalized attention! You will love this book!


Experience "The Witching Hour" for yourself!

COMING SOON!!

A NEW HALLOWEEN BOOK CLASS

BE WATCHING FOR DETAILS....

It has been a while since I've posted but that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy! I completed a new studio in my home in July of 2009 and I have really given it a work out!

I LOVE my studio!

A lot of people have asked me to post some of my work. So today, I am doing that. I love art in all forms but my favorite style is undoubtedly the vintage, heirloom and nostalgic.

In my opinion, the absolute "Guru" of this style is the incredibly talented artistic designer and product developer, Tim Holtz. Check out his website and blog at http://www.timholtz.com/.

One of the top things on my "bucket list" is to have the amazing opportunity to meet and be taught by Tim someday. Those wonderfully creative people who have attended Ranger U and have been selected to be on his design team are living my dream. :)

Not everything I do is nostalgic, heirloom or vintage but when it is, I draw from my wonderfully simple "Normal Rockwellish" childhood. I love to revisit the sights, smells, sounds and memories of events and people living and passed on that fill my mind and heart.

We've all gone to flea markets and see something that instantly conjures up a memory of something familiar....and it makes us smile. I love it when someone picks up a piece that I have created and starts talking about their family or their memories. To me, THAT is what vintage, heirloom and nostalgic art is truly about.

I also love altered art and the edgey grunge look. That is so much fun to explore.

So, as you spend a bit of your day looking at my creations, I hope it brings a smile and inspires you in some way. Have a wonderful day and take time to PLAY and CREATE!! It's "soul" food!

These "Family Blocks" are one of my most favorite things I have done. The first block begins with my husband's and my grandparents and great grandparents. The "F" block is devoted to my parents. The "A" block is all about my husband's parents. The "M" block is my husband's and my block. The "I" block is our son and his wife's block. The "L" block is our daughter and her husband's block. The "Y" block is devoted to our grandchildren. Each block is full of pull outs, fold outs, pocket and all sorts of surprise elements for adding several pictures on every side. I have adorned the blocks with vintage laces, little "attic flowers" I have made from old laces, organza, pearls, netting, etc. There are old buttons and lots of metal elements on the blocks as well. Tim Holtz' Ideaology line is full of little negative film strip, wonderful little knobs, metal corners, and all sorts of other little metal embellishments that are perfect for pieces like this. The FAMILY letters on the front of each block are chipboard but brushed with Magic Metallics to make them look metallic and also aged. The blocks are a labor of love and definitely do what I hoped that would do. When people see them, they have to pick them up and study them. They explore all the pull outs and pockets ... and again, it sparks stories about their families. LOVE it!! Pictured are some of the sides of the blocks...but it is had to capture all the little special touches given to each side. They are really meant to be picked up and explored.